Training Impulse (Trimp) Values During One Week Of Practices And Games At The End Of An Elite Youth Hockey Season

During a season of competition training, programs change as a means of managing the cumulative stresses of training and performing. Managing this process can be difficult to accomplish in team sports where relative exercise intensity can be dependent on position and role on the team, and effort put forth during training and competition. Measuring exercise variables, such as heart rate, lactate threshold and rating of perceived exertion, are easier to obtain and control during individual training than team training sessions. Recent advances in heart rate monitoring technology have allowed heart rate monitors to be worn by teams during practices and competitions, without interference between belts. Also, equations have been developed to calculate training intensities, referred to as training impulses (TRIMPs) for team athletes. The TRIMP technique was recently modified by Stagno et al. (2007) for implementation during team sport activities. To determine TRIMP values of both practice and competition during a single week at the end of their season for elite youth hockey players. 5 forwards and 4 defenders (n = 9; mean age: 15.7 ± 0.5 years) served as the participants. Heart rates were monitored during an entire week at the end of the season (week 28 of 29) consisting of three practices [Monday (P1), Tuesday (P2), and Thursday (P3)] and three games [one on Saturday (G1) and two on Sunday (G2, G3)]. Games were played on 24 weekends during the 29 week season. Heart rate measurements were recorded during practices and games by coded heart rate monitors that stored the data in the strap. TRIMP values were calculated from the data for each practice and game using the modified TRIMP equation. Stagno et al. (2007) created five heart rates zones between 65-100% of maximal heart rate. Minutes spent in each zone are multiplied by a weighting factor corresponding to each zone. These values are summed to determine total TRIMP value for each event. Maximal heart rate for each participant was determined using the equation developed by Gellish et al. (2007). TRIMP Zones, Total TRIMPs and TRIMPs per minute values are presented below (mean ± SD): Each training session varied in time, Total TRIMPs and TRIMPs/ min. Games decreased in TRIMPs and TRIMPs/min with slight decreases in time. Even though TRIMPs/min data are similar between some practices and some games (P2 = G2;P3 = G1), onlyG3 and P3 are similar in Total TRIMPs. Therefore, this coach has managed the time of practices to evoke game-like intensities but not durations. The use of TRIMPs gives coaches an accurate look at the intensity of practices and games for team activities. At the end of the season, when athletes may be more fatigued, an objective method of determining physiological load (i.e. TRIMP equations) should help coaches assess and track athlete responses.